More bad news for the Gunners as three key players are out for lengthy periods of time.
Cesc Fabregas is feared out for the rest of the season while Andriy Arshavin is out for three weeks. William Gallas season is over.
Fabregas would not have made the Barca second leg picking up his second card but the results of bone scan will be available later today to confirm, if indeed he has a fractured fibula. Which might mean a 6-8 week stay away from the pitch.
Gallas was recovering from a partial tear of the calf muscle with intramuscular bleeding. Wenger took a gamble with his return and it did not pan out as planned.
This has implications for Gallas beyond this season and his frequent injuries may tempt Wenger into not re-negotiating more than a year on his contract. If this proves unacceptable then the Frenchman might be gone.
Arshavin picked up a calf injury that has compounded what can only be called a frustrating season for the Russian playmaker.
Brilliant in patches but with moments of sauntering casualness that are at odds with the English game. Perhaps it is a learning curve but Arshavin as a famously free spirit has to come to some sort of self realization because I don’t see him taking too kindly to Wenger putting a fatherly arm around him and saying, “ Son, it’s not just Liverpool in the league.”
2 comments on “Fabregas, Arshavin, and Gallas are out with injuries”
Before the match, I really thought Wenger would’ve been better off prioritizing the Premier League since they’re in a better position to win it than the Champions League, and Arsenal need to win a trophy to keep the annual exodus of their taleted players. I thought he should’ve rested Fabregas and Gallas to keep them for the crucial run-in in England, and not risk re-injury in the Barcelona game.
It’s a reoccurring trend with Arsenal, previously seen with Van Persie and Fabregas, and now seen again with Gallas and Fabregas.
They can certainly still win the Premier League, but it’s going to be asking a lot of what’s left of the team to do so.
I think tomorrow’s Man Utd vs Chelsea game will have a big bearing on the Premiership race. Depending on the outcome Wenger can decide whether to go all out for domestic or European glory. A draw would make it easier for sticking to the Premiership, a win for either Chelsea or Man Utd could mean that Arsenal might have to settle for second best. They also have to play City and Spurs, who will see every game as a chance to settle their fourth position.